Exploring Critical Sociological Thinking

Abstract

Much has been written about enhancing students' critical thinking abilities, but very little empirical research on this important learning outcome exists within the sociological literature. Indeed, there is little consensus among sociologists (and non-sociologists) about what critical thinking is. In this paper we review ways in which sociologists have conceptualized and measured critical thinking and introduce a new concept--critical sociological thinking--that embodies the type of higher-level thinking many sociologists want to help students attain. Critical sociological thinking refers to the ability to logicaly and reasonably evaluate an argument or problem while maintaining an awareness of and sensitivity to social forces and contexts. Further, we develop a scale that can be used to measure critical sociological thinking and demonstrate its usefulness in the empirical analysis of student writing. Implications for future research and teaching are discussed.